Substrate-bound biomolecular or synthetic arrays, such as oligonucleotide arrays, also known as micro arrays, enable the testing of the hybridization of different sequences in a sample to many different probes. These arrays can be composed of hundreds of thousands of probes deposited or synthesized within specific regions, defined as features, on a substrate.
To analyze such arrays, the sample is labeled with one or more detectable markers, such as fluorescent or chemiluminescent makers, that hybridize with the probes at each feature on the substrate. The markers emit luminous signals, for example a fluorescent signal or a chemiluminescent signal, that are imaged and the images are analyzed.